by Paxton Briggs and Zanh Liis
81214.16
Awhile after The Only Right
-=/\=-
-=USS Vanguard=-
81214.16
Awhile after The Only Right
-=/\=-
-=USS Vanguard=-
"Holy sh...."
"That'll do, Reece. Thanks." Zanh Liis felt bad enough at the sight of her ship, she didn't need the Trill lending play-by-play commentary on her condition, colorful, or otherwise.
"Ouch." Will Lindsay cringed as he brought the Vanguard within transporter range of the larger ship. "She's taken a lickin' that's for certain."
"All right, folks. Gather up your personal belongings, lower your head, watch your step and take all small children firmly by the hand. Reece, that means you, as you disembark. We've arrived." Zanh instructed. She made a 'shooing' motion with both hands, wishing for a moment to speak privately with Will Lindsay.
The second that the others had dispersed, she tilted her head toward him. "This is your stop, William. Thanks for everything. Don't forget to write."
Lindsay laughed heartily. "I don't think so. I made a promise to Keiran to see you through this. I intend to keep it."
"Will,"
"Liis," he rumbled softly, resting a heavy hand upon her shoulder. "You're not gonna win this one. Save yer strength for the battles ya have to fight." He nodded conclusively. "I'm stayin', and that's the end of the matter."
The instant that their eyes met, she felt daggers of emotion take the form of a throbbing ache in her chest. Having him here for the rest of this was, she accepted, something that she needed more than she wanted to admit. "Thank you."
"This is Captain William Lindsay of the USS Vanguard," he hailed, the grin returning to his face. "I've got Captain Zanh Liis aboard ship, and we're requestin' permission to dock."
-=/\=-
The Sera floated in space wounded, beat-up, and hurting- but far from dead. The crew worked feverishly to get the critical repairs finished to allow the ship to rejoin the pursuit of the Romulan, Taris.
Currently seated in the command chair was Lieutenant February Grace. Still dressed in her pink ensemble, she was a sight to behold as she collected reports from the damage control teams and relayed them to the ship's current commanding officer, Commander Paxton Briggs.
“The hull breaches will be sealed within the hour. Long range sensors just came back online. Warp drive and Impulse are at ninety-eight percent.” She reported.
[Excellent, we are well ahead of schedule. My compliments to the engineering staff.] There was a crackle sound in the background and Paxton cursed aloud.
Bru raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay, Sir?"
[Yeah, yeah. Just a little...singed. Weapons and shields are coming along down here. We can currently only squeeze sixty-seven percent out of the shields and weapons will have to be finished en route. I want to get underway as soon as those hull breaches are fixed.]
"Understood Sir. Do you have any further orders for me to carry out up here?"
[Make sure that once those long range sensors are realigned that we can track the Polaris.] He added. [Keep me informed, Briggs out]
The channel closed.
"That Commander Briggs is quite a guy. I bet it won't be long before he adds another pip to his collar." February thought aloud.
“Long range sensors are realigned and we are receive telemetry.” Tenney reported. “In fact, we have a ship approaching at high Warp.”
"Uh oh. I mean...what do you have for me,Mister Nye?"
"Can't make out what it is exactly from this distance but it's a small ship, that's for sure." he did the best he could with the sensor capacity available. "It appears to be Federation but I have never seen readings like these."
"Well the second that you get anything more, I want to know about it. Please." The rest on the bridge nearly laughed, she was so polite about the way that she asked, every time she asked them for anything. It was quite a change from the manner of their demanding, 'dispense-with-the-pleasantries-and-give-me-the-frigging-report-already', Bajoran captain.
"Lieutenant Grace..we're being hailed." Tenney's voice indicated her disbelief. "It's... Captain Zanh!"
"No way."
"Way!" Tenney exclaimed, employing a reply borrowed from Grace's vocabulary of oft-used phrases.
"Well put her through, for Heaven's sake!" February sat up straighter in the chair.
"Audio only at this distance."
"Very well."
"Go ahead, Sir." Tenney invited.
[This is Zanh Liis. Did I hear Tenney right, that Salvek is not commanding the ship?]
"Yes...Captain..." February said nervously, "Um, I-"
[Grace? Is that YOU? What the hell are you doing out of bed?]
"Um...commanding...the...ship...Sir?"
A moment of silence followed.
[Salvek gave you command of the ship?]
"No, Sir. He was removed from command and then Commander-"
[REMOVED?] Zanh's voice rose in pitch and volume. [By WHOM?]
"C...commander Paxton Briggs, Sir. He's been traveling with us, though he's posted to Border Station Indigo. He's..."
[Grace, I am closing in on your location in a small ship called Vanguard. I have the Away Team with me, we retrieved them from Lethus IV. Listen to me very carefully...]
"You have the Away Team?!" Bru jumped up out of her chair, unable to contain her excitement. "Is...everyone all right?"
[He's fine, Lieutenant. Lair's worse for wear, but she's going to make it.] Zanh's voice softened a little at hearing Grace's inquiry. [Listen, Bubbles, the moment I get back to the ship, I want to meet with this Commander Briggs of Border Station Indigo.]
"I'll inform him." Grace replied, very grateful in this moment that she was not he. "You're cleared for docking in the Alchemy's empty bay. Welcome home, Captain."
-=Forward Saucer Engineering section, Weapons Control =-
Paxton Briggs long legs hung out of the crawlspace as he worked on the power conduit for the forward phaser array. Ensign Danbury smiled and gave a small chuckle at the sight of the large man squeezed into the tight conduit.
Paxton heard the snicker as he shifted his weight in an effort to move his left arm into a better position to assist his right hand with the hydro spanner. “What’s so funny Danbury?”
Danbury swallowed, not sure if he had offended the rather large commander. “Um, nothing really sir. It’s just that from this angle…”
Paxton laughed softly as he realized what the ensign related to. “I guess I do look like a pig in a blanket don’t I.” He grunted as he struggled to reach a burnt bypass. “This is nothing, I should tell you about the time I was on leave on…”
[Bridge to Commander Briggs.] Bru’s voice interrupted Paxton’s story.
“Briggs here.”
[Um, Sir, I was just hailed by Captain Zanh. You know...our CO...] Grace stopped and cleared her throat nervously.
"I thought she was on her honeymoon. On Earth."
[Yeah, well, funny thing about that. See, she's not anymore. She is closing in on our location Sir. She's got the Away Team with her and she has asked to speak to you as soon as she returns. We expect her within the hour.]
“If she has the Away Team then she also has your CEO.” He sighed. Perhaps someone else would know this ships modified systems better then himself. He plugged in a new bypass module and the conduit came to life with a faint golden glow.
“Your tactical console should be online now. I’ll be right up.”
He started to wiggle out of the small conduit but found himself partially stuck.
“Well don’t just stand there Danbury, pull!”
-=later=-
Silence overtook the bridge and everyone immediately jolted out of their chairs at the sound of the turbolift doors.
Zanh Liis inhaled sharply at the sight of the place. So much had happened, so much had changed in her since she'd last set foot here, even though only days had passed since.
The moment the soles of her boots touched the ebon floor, at last she was back in her element.
"Captain on deck." Bru announced. She felt the weight of the universe lifted off of her shoulders, knowing she would soon be relieved from her post.
"As you were, Lieutenant." Zanh saluted her. "Nice jammies. Briggs?"
"He's waiting in your Ready Room, Sir."
At the sound of the door Paxton turned away from the portal he was staring out of, to face the rightful captain of the Serendipity.
Briggs was a sight to behold. His uniform was smudged and greasy in several areas. There was a large streak of some sort of lubricant on his forehead.
“Captain Zanh I presume.” He stood at attention.
"Yes I am." Zanh said, folding her arms indignantly. She had to see just how big an ego this Briggs guy had- and/or if he had any ulterior motives besides the good of the Serendipity when he'd sent Salvek packing. "Who the hell are you?"
"Commander Paxton Briggs, Captain. Of Border Station Indi-"
"I know that, Commander. I should have been more specific with my question. What I meant was who the hell are you to decide that my XO is no longer fit to be in command of my ship in my absence?"
Paxton pursed his lips, this captain was a fiery one, he could tell that already.
“Let me start by saying that I stand relieved of command of the USS Serendipity.” He continued to stand at attention. “Computer please make note in the log.”
There was the customary beep of acknowledgment.
He shifted uncomfortably before continuing. “Sir, Commander Salvek’s wife was wounded and his daughter has been abducted. The ship was in no condition to continue pursuit without repairs, yet the commander insisted on chasing the Romulan vessel. I felt that given the extremes of his personnel involvement that his decisions were ‘clouded’ at best.”
She glared at him, her head tilted upwards at the required, steep angle needed to allow her to look directly into his eyes. She was completely unaffected, it seemed, by his size. Usually, the height took people aback when he first met them, at least a little...at least for a second...
“Even for a Vulcan that is a lot to ask.” Paxton continued.
Zanh's only response was her unending, unwavering stare.
“Not that I blame him.” He quickly added. “But even if we were to catch the Romulan vessel we would have been easy pickings for them, even with their limited capabilities.”
He sighed, the weight of the decision he made obvious on his face.
“I could not let him sacrifice an entire starship and crew for one person. So I made the move to relieve him of command. I offered to have the current ranking medical officer confirm the legality of it, but Commander Salvek declined and willingly stepped aside. Besides, if I did not relieve him of command I would not have been able to send him and a small crew after Taris in the Polaris.”
Zanh held his gaze a moment longer, taking, he was certain, stock of his very soul as reflected in his countenance. At last, she nodded.
"Very good answers, all, Mister Briggs. You did precisely what the situation demanded; and on an unfamiliar ship, among a crew of strangers. I must commend your performance. You've comported yourself well." She took a step away from him, at last allowing him a little room to breathe.
"You're a true Starfleet professional and leader, even while traveling as a passenger aboard a ship that you technically had no responsibility to." Zanh's posture relaxed, and finally, she softened her voice and expression. "It appears that I am deeply in your debt. Thank you, for all you've done."
Paxton sighed outwardly. “Thank you, Captain.”
"Now, on to other business. How are the repairs coming along?" She looked him up and down once. "Did you manage to leave any grease down in Engineering or did you bring it all along with you?" She was teasing him, of course, but Briggs didn't know her, and so he didn't know that.
He blinked then stammered. “I, I didn’t have time to clean up, I was in the forward…” He noticed her slight smile. “You’re joking.” He concluded.
She nodded. "I've been known to do that on occasion."
He returned the smile. “Warp drive is just about ninety-six percent, the hull breaches have been repaired as best as we can out here, but the weapons and shields are another story.”
"Please tell me that's not the end of the 'good news' portion of your report," Zanh groaned.
“Well, we were able to get the forward arrays online but they are held together with bubblegum and happy thoughts so I would not recommend bouncing us around too much.” He sighed as he relaxed his stance. “The best we can get out of the shields is seventy-five percent and that is because we have to stretch them to cover the area left open by the loss of the dorsal emitter. That can't be fixed until we get to space dock.”
“Last but not least, we only have one functional torpedo launcher and about half of our stock of torpedoes has been used.”
He produced a PADD that he had behind his back. “Here is the current damage report. We also lost one person from engineering, Ensign Stubbs. She was killed when a plasma relay malfunctioned. Thirteen wounded, two in serious condition, including your CTO.”
He handed her the PADD.
"Blakeslee?" Zanh's eyes widened in horror. "How bad?"
"Bad."
"HOW bad?" The small amount of calm that Zanh had allowed herself to feel after Paxton's report instantly evaporated.
"We very nearly lost him, and he's still critical."
Zanh spun on her heel. She tried to block the image of Ensign Sandra Stubbs out of her mind; more so the image of the face of a young man called Dell Emery, one of the Sera's transporter operators.
The two had only recently become engaged, and Zanh felt even worse for Emery than she did for Sandra Stubbs.
"Thank you. Get yourself cleaned up, Commander, and then get some rest. You've more than earned it." Zanh stopped, midstep, and held her hand out toward him.
He stared at her, a little unsure of why she wanted to shake his hand, exactly. But he accepted the gesture anyway and firmly returned it with one squeeze and a pump up and down before releasing her. She had, he found, a remarkably firm handshake.
“Actually, Captain Zanh, since you are short a TSO, and that is my specialty, I would prefer to stay on to oversee the remaining repairs. Besides, if you are planning to continue pursuit you’re going to need someone experienced there.” He shrugged. “Plus, I just can’t see myself sitting on the sidelines, not now.”
"Who am I to argue with dedication like that. I'll see you back on the bridge, then, as soon as I check in on Zander and his family."
“There is one more thing, Captain. I would not have been able to be nearly as effective if it was not for the support of Lt. Grace.” He smiled. “She is a fine officer.”
"Good of you to mention it. Put a comment to that effect into your report, and I'll see that it's added to her record." She looked up at the man, a question forming in her mind as she considered how he had, quite literally, dropped onto their ship at exactly the proper time.
"Where was it that you were meant to be going, Commander Briggs of Border Station Indigo?" Zanh asked softly.
"To a conference on Amamdone. Both Dr. Hartcort and I are suppose to speak.”
She nodded. "I'll do my best to try to you get there, hopefully in time for that speech. If I can't pull that off, I promise to write you one hell of an excusatory note to explain your absence."
She stepped out onto the bridge proper, and looked around again. As exhausted as he was, TC Blane sat in the XO's chair, reading the latest repair reports. "Get some rest, Mister Blane." Zanh instructed.
Blane stood and approached her. "With all due respect, Captain, unless you are making that an order," he inclined his head toward her. "I'll rest when you do."
Zanh nodded, knowing there was no point in arguing. "Very well. I'm going to Sickbay to check on Zander, be back in fifteen minutes. Gracie, you did a hell of a job, but you stand relieved. Thomas, you have the bridge."
“Aye Captain.”
He turned to Bru. “Get out of my seat.” He smiled as he thumbed towards the lift.
------------------------------
Commander Paxton Briggs
Second Officer
Border Station Indigo
Currently aboard the Serendipity
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Commander Paxton Briggs
Second Officer
Border Station Indigo
Currently aboard the Serendipity
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012